Brake beam balancing device



Oct. 24, 1944. M. s. JOHNSON BRAKE BEAM BALANCING DEVICE I Filed March 12, 1943 4 shoe to'make contact withthe car wheel.

Patented Oct. 24, 1944 f UNITE-DY STATE-s T; D BAkE,nAM iitfihginEficE' ,1,

Malcolm S. Johnson, Chicago, 111., assignor to Illinois Railway Equipment Company, Chieagq v Ill .,"a corporation of Illinois Application March 12, 1943,'Serial-No.-478,958

The present day brake beam n assembled in the truck, 'are'notbalanced aboutthe "hanger bearing support infthe brake head, due to the uneven distribution of "weight about the hanger bearing resulting from such attachments as brake shoes,-live or dead levers, dead'lever guide, lever connecting rod, etc. of the brake rigging, with the I result that excessive weight is produced on the 'tensionside of the beam-causing the beam, when the braJ-kes are in released position, to rotate to an extentwhich permitsthe top of the brake "ll result of the Condition mentioned, with the brake shoe continuously riding on the wheel when the brakes are in released; position, naturally projduces undue and wasteful wear of 'the'shoes and wheels. The constant contactof the, top of the shoe with the revolving car, wheel causes the "shoe to wear unevenly, with greater wear toward the top and prevents the maximum wear limits throughout the entire length of the shoeto be obained, necessitating discarding of the shoe and producing waste andjexpense. My improved 'balancer device prevents the usual jiggle or vibration between the hanger and the brake head as well as the resultant chatter and noise and consequent wear; the device maintaining a tighter relation between the hanger and the head, as well as maintaining a proper or uniform spaced relation between the entire shoe and the car wheel.

My improved device, which involves a resilient element, also tends to aid in brake release, especially after the car has become stationary; the device being suitable for all beams with brake heads hung from the center hanger location, with its application such that it cannot become displaced even though the brake shoe and its key are lost; the device bein made of resilient metal. in order to compensate for the change in relationship between the hanger and the brake head from a released position to a brake applied position.

The objects and advantages of my' invention will be readily comprehended from the detailed 1 description of the accompanying drawing wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device.

,upper end of the head and to the lower wheel broken away;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken sub- 'ti'on"wit'h portions theredf'and portions'of a carstantially on the line 3+3 of Figure 2, with the brake applied condition shown dotted lines.'

' "My improveddevice is intended for use with the {standard A e. a. brake head and the drawing, Figure 2, shows its application to a center hung brakehead It, mountedon the end'of the brake beam H" suspendedby the hanger I2, whose upper end, broken away in the figure, is

swingingly mounted; in the 'usual hanger bracket secured to the truck side frameof which a'portion is shown alt-l3. f

The brake head and bottom shoe bearingsurfaces I4, l5 and the intermediate,'vertically spaced lugs l 6, which pro- "vide; a shoe lug jfrec' eivingsoclret therebetween. These lugs' 16 have vertical openings extending ,therethroughto receive th'eusual vertically disposed key I11 which also passes through an openingf or slot intheflhead tip l4 and through an ppening in the lug ,I 8 ,formed integral with the rear. side of; the brak shoe fl9 ,"thereby removably locking the shoe.l.9 to the head ID, with the weight and thrusts of the shoe transmitted to the lu of the Due to the arrangement and mounting of the brake rigging an uneven distribution of weight about the hanger bearing maintains, produced by the brake shoes, th levers, the lever guide and lever connection rod, as previously stated; and

this excessive overbalance induces rotative movethe brake head, I have devised my improved bal-- ancer 20 shown in perspective in Figure 1, formed from a flat strip of spring steel of predetermined thickness, width and length and possessing sufiicient strength to resist the overturning action of the beam. The flat bar or strip is bent into sinuous form or double ogeecurvature with the ends 2|, 2| of the strip of equal length and disposed in'the same direction to provide the loops 22, 22 which extend beyond the plane of the intermediate bowed head engaging portion 23.

hanger l2, 'assh'own in Figure 3.

-When the device and the brake members are in complete assembled position, the central bowed brake head and resists the opposite pull exerted by the ends disposed about what may be termed the rearsides of the hanger I2. f

In order to apply or to remove the device, the" brake hanger must be removed fromthehanger certain structural modifications are possible without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A brake beam balancing device comprising, in combination with the brake beam of a railroad car having a brake head mounted thereon and a link hanger whereby the head is pendently supported from the car truck frame, a resilient wide bar of sinuous'form intermediate its ends to provide a rearwardly curved brake head engaging ""portion, the portions at either side of the head portion 23 bears against the forwardface of the :engaging; portion being bent rearwardly beyond head with the intermediate curved portion engagingthe forward face of the brake head and the bracket on the side frame of the truck and the I,

brake shoe and key must also be removed. The

ldevice is then placed inthe recessedforward face of thebrake head abovethe upper 111g, 16, with the convex surface of the bowed portion; 23

against the brake head, and the. two sides or legs of thehanger. lzarranged in the end loops, 22, 22 and the upper'end of thehanger then inserted in-thehanger bracket. Theshoe I9 is then ap- ,plied with as lug -l8- disposed ,between the lugs l 6, 16, of :the brake head therebybringing the openings throughthe lugs into register for .in- I .sertionof the locking key 11. The deviceis so formed that when the assembly has been made, the device will exert rearward pressure on the brake head and thereby: prevent the usual forward irotative movement of thebrake beam I l- 're'sult- 35 'ing from the unbalanced condition-produced by thelvarious levers heretoforementioned and the brake heads a with their attached shoes. I The, device preferablyi's made ,of a flat strip or, bar of ,springjsteel, instead of round'material,

,to provide a wider bearing on the head and hanger; and in orderfto prevent the side. edges ofjthe device digging into the brakehead andthe hanger "and causing undue wear the head engaging portion 23, as'wella'sjthehang'er receiving loops 22, are slightly dished transverselytc present aconvexed surface, respectively, against the head and flso against the hangers as indicated'at 23 and I have shownand 'describedwhat I-believe to,

be the best embodiment of my invention, but

car, and a resilient-bar, disposed transverselyoi the brake head, provided with a sinuous interme diate portion involving a rearwardly curved part bearing against the forward face; of the brake head in a plane above the. pivotal connection between the brake head and hanger, while the ends of said bar curve Irearwardlyof thebrake head engaging portion and terminate in forwardly tacing hook portions arranged rearward of the, link hanger.

3, Ina brake beam balancing device of the 'character described, the combination of, a railroad car brake head, a link hanger whereby the brake head is pendently supported from the car truck frame,.and a resilient bar provided with a sinuous intermediate portion involving a rearwardly curved part, said bar being disposed transverselyflof the forward face ,of, .the brake head with said curved part bearing againstthe forward face of th'brake head in 'a plane'above that of thepivotal' connection between the brake head and the hanger, with the ends of said bar curved rearwardly of the brake head and hooked about they rear of. the link hangenthebrak'ehe'ad and link hangerengaging portionsof the bar being of comparative widthand convexed transversely. v

H MALCOLM s. IIOHNSON. 

